Adjacent Words

Discourse definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DISCOURSE, n. Discors. [L., to run.]
1. The act of the undertaking, by which it passes from premises to consequences; the act which connects propositions, and deduces conclusions from them. [This sense is now obsolete.]
2. Literally, a running over a subject in speech; hence, a communication of thoughts by words, either to individuals, to companies, or to public assemblies. Discourse to an individual or to a small company is called conversation or talk; mutual interchange or thoughts; mutual intercourse of language. It is applied to the familiar communication of thoughts by an individual, or to the mutual communication of two or more. We say, I was pleased with his discourse, and he heard our discourse.
The vanquished party with the victors joined, nor wanted sweet discourse, the banquet of the mind.
3. Effusion of language; speech.
4. A written treatise; a formal dissertation; as the discourse of Plutarch on garrulity; of Cicero on old age.
5. A sermon, uttered or written. We say, an extemporaneous discourse, or a written discourse.
DISCOURSE, v.i.
1. To talk; to converse; to but it expresses rather more formality than talk. He discoursed with us an hour on the events of the war. We discoursed together on our mutual concerns.
2. To communicate thoughts or ideas in a formal manner; to treat upon in a solemn, set manner; as, to discourse on the properties of the circle; the preacher discoursed on the nature and effects of faith.
3. To reason; to pass from premises to consequences.
DISCOURSE, v.t. To treat of; to talk over; to discuss. [Not used.]
Let use discourse our fortunes.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: extended verbal expression in speech or writing
2: an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service) [syn: sermon, discourse, preaching]
3: an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic; "the book contains an excellent discussion of modal logic"; "his treatment of the race question is badly biased" [syn: discussion, treatment, discourse] v
1: to consider or examine in speech or writing; "The author talks about the different aspects of this question"; "The class discussed Dante's `Inferno'" [syn: discourse, talk about, discuss]
2: carry on a conversation [syn: converse, discourse]
3: talk at length and formally about a topic; "The speaker dissertated about the social politics in 18th century England" [syn: hold forth, discourse, dissertate]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English discours, from Medieval Latin & Late Latin discursus; Medieval Latin, argument, from Late Latin, conversation, from Latin, act of running about, from discurrere to run about, from dis- + currere to run — more at car Date: 14th century 1. archaic the capacity of orderly thought or procedure ; rationality 2. verbal interchange of ideas; especially conversation 3. a. formal and orderly and usually extended expression of thought on a subject b. connected speech or writing c. a linguistic unit (as a conversation or a story) larger than a sentence 4. obsolete social familiarity 5. a mode of organizing knowledge, ideas, or experience that is rooted in language and its concrete contexts (as history or institutions) <critical discourse> II. verb (discoursed; discoursing) Date: 1559 intransitive verb 1. to express oneself especially in oral discourse 2. talk, converse transitive verb archaic to give forth ; utter • discourser noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 literary a conversation; talk. b a dissertation or treatise on an academic subject. c a lecture or sermon. 2 Linguistics a connected series of utterances; a text. --v. 1 intr. talk; converse. 2 intr. (usu. foll. by of, on, upon) speak or write learnedly or at length (on a subject). 3 tr. archaic give forth (music etc.). Etymology: ME f. L discursus (as DIS-, COURSE): (v.) partly after F discourir

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Discourse Dis*course", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Discoursed; p. pr. & vb. n. Discoursing.] 1. To exercise reason; to employ the mind in judging and inferring; to reason. [Obs.] ``Have sense or can discourse.'' --Dryden. 2. To express one's self in oral discourse; to expose one's views; to talk in a continuous or formal manner; to hold forth; to speak; to converse. Bid me discourse, I will enchant thine ear. --Shak. 3. To relate something; to tell. --Shak. 4. To treat of something in writing and formally.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Discourse Dis*course", n. [L. discursus a running to and fro, discourse, fr. discurrere, discursum, to run to and fro, to discourse; dis- + currere to run: cf. F. discours. See Course.] 1. The power of the mind to reason or infer by running, as it were, from one fact or reason to another, and deriving a conclusion; an exercise or act of this power; reasoning; range of reasoning faculty. [Obs.] Difficult, strange, and harsh to the discourses of natural reason. --South. Sure he that made us with such large discourse, Looking before and after, gave us not That capability and godlike reason To fust in us unused. --Shak. 2. Conversation; talk. In their discourses after supper. --Shak. Filling the head with variety of thoughts, and the mouth with copious discourse. --Locke. 3. The art and manner of speaking and conversing. Of excellent breeding, admirable discourse. --Shak. 4. Consecutive speech, either written or unwritten, on a given line of thought; speech; treatise; dissertation; sermon, etc.; as, the preacher gave us a long discourse on duty. 5. Dealing; transaction. [Obs.] Good Captain Bessus, tell us the discourse Betwixt Tigranes and our king, and how We got the victory. --Beau. & Fl.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Discourse Dis*course", v. t. 1. To treat of; to expose or set forth in language. [Obs.] The life of William Tyndale . . . is sufficiently and at large discoursed in the book. --Foxe. 2. To utter or give forth; to speak. It will discourse most eloquent music. --Shak. 3. To talk to; to confer with. [Obs.] I have spoken to my brother, who is the patron, to discourse the minister about it. --Evelyn.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(discoursed) 1. Discourse is spoken or written communication between people, especially serious discussion of a particular subject. ...a tradition of political discourse. N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp 2. A discourse is a serious talk or piece of writing which is intended to teach or explain something. (FORMAL) Gates responds with a lengthy discourse on deployment strategy. N-COUNT 3. If someone discourses on something, they talk for a long time about it in a confident way. (FORMAL) He discoursed for several hours on French and English prose. VERB: V prep, also V 4. see also direct discourse, indirect discourse

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

dis-kors': In the Revised Version (British and American) of Ac 20:7,9, the translation of Greek dialegomai (the King James Version "preach"), elsewhere rendered, according to the implications of the context, "reason" or "dispute," as Ac 17:2; 19:9 (the King James Version "disputing," the Revised Version (British and American) "reasoning"); Jude 1:9.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. (Rare.) Reason, reasoning faculty, reasoning. 2. Dissertation, treatise, disquisition, homily, sermon. 3. Conversation, talk, converse, oral communication, verbal intercourse. II. v. n. 1. Speak, expatiate, hold forth, deliver a discourse. 2. Talk, converse, parley, confer, advise, hold a conversation, hold a parley or conference, talk together. 3. Reason, make inferences, draw conclusions. III. v. a. Utter, emit, give forth, pour forth.

Moby Thesaurus

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